Candidates For Concord Mayor Prepare To Lead After Jim Bouley: Watch

CONCORD, NH — Three candidates are on the ballot to replace the city’s longest-serving mayor in November.

Two of them, George Jack and Byron Champlin, appeared at a debate sponsored by Patch, Concord TV, and the New England Take podcast to talk about the big shoes they will need to fill after Mayor Jim Bouley announced in August he would not seek reelection after 16 years leading the council and a quarter of a century of service.

Kate West, who is also on the ballot, was invited to participate but chose not to.

Jack, who has worked as a long-time customer service manager and also been a competitive eating champion, said he decided to run after Bouley said he would not to seek reelection to become more involved in the community. He said the city had amazing potential, and he wanted to be a part of its future success.

Champlin, who has lived in the city for four decades, has been on the council citywide and in Ward 4 for 10 years. He has worked in public information at the Statehouse and Colby-Sawyer College and in philanthropy at Lincoln Financial.

If elected, Champlin would like to keep the collegiality that Bouley brought to the role in an effort to keep the council and its proceedings stable in the wake of a new mayor and at least four new councilors — possibly more. He said he was a good listener, too. Champlin said he might consider a new ice-breaking session for new and old councilors. The process, previously utilized by the board of education, could be held during the strategy setting session, which occurs in January.

Jack pointed to a book he read about FedEx and one chapter concerning how corporate colleagues treated each other to ensure company success. He said while some might not see the council as a workplace, the city government was, and everyone was working to further the aspirations of the residents. Jack said ensuring good communication and everyone’s voices were heard were important.

While the most important role of the mayor is to run the council meetings, just as important, some think, is the process of appointing residents to boards and commissions. There has been some criticism of Bouley for not reestablishing the board of ethics appointments. Some in the community demand their activist friends be seated and even paid to participate in a diversity and belonging committee. Champlin said he liked the process the way it was now — interested parties submit resumes to the city clerk for the mayor to consider, the council then considered nominations, and there were no objections, the nominees would be appointed. “Strong candidates,” too, “who represent a broad spectrum of our citizens,” could be forwarded by others, he said.

Jack said he would review the appointment process. If people want a different process, he said, it should be considered. But if the current way works, the mayor should stick with it. People though should not demand to be appointed and nominations need to be vetted and, he said, “please engage with us because we’re looking forward to working with you.”

Neither candidate agreed with a local activist who believed the city charter was “tenants of white supremacy,” a statement made after Bouley and Champlin, who jumpstarted the diversity and belonging committee, voted against paying people a stipend to attend meetings. Champlin said obstacles, though, to participation, need to be removed and that would be a community process.

On economic development and tax base expansion, Champlin said the city restructuring the department was a good start. He would also like to see the Economic Development Advisory Committee and the mayor’s business revisitation program to attract and retain businesses restarted. The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, too, needed to start a biannual state of business report.

Jack said he wanted to make business development “more active” and making it a “guerilla, more grassroots” effort to communicate with businesses and landlords. He would also like to see more festivals and more happenings like the Glendi festival in Manchester, while engaging with other businesses to participate in the festivals. Maybe music acts could play at the Everett Arena, he said.

Champlin and Jack also discussed housing production, crime and crime by the homeless, tax rates, solid waste, and a new clubhouse at the Beaver Meadow Golf Course.

2023 Debates

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• An Open Ward 2 Concord City Council Seat Brings Out Newcomers: Watch
• Ward 5 Concord City Council Candidates Talk Trash, Taxes, Engagement
• 5 Concord At Large City Council Candidates Vie For 2 Seats: Watch

Candidate Profiles

• Keith Nyhan, Ward 7 Concord City Council Candidate
• Jeff Foote, Ward 10 Concord City Council Candidate
• Kris Schultz, Concord City Council Ward 9 Candidate
• Andrew Georgevits, Ward 9 Concord City Council Candidate
• Jess Campbell, Zone A Concord School Board Candidate
• Sarah Beauregard, Ward 4 Concord City Council Candidate
• Jim Schlosser, Concord City Council Ward 7 Candidate
• Brent Todd, Concord City Council Ward 1 Candidate
• Brenda Hastings, Concord School Board Zone C Candidate
• Noemi Wierwille, Concord City Council Ward 5 Candidate
• Karen McNamara, Ward 4 Concord City Council Candidate
• Taylor Hall, At Large Concord City Council Candidate
• Byron Champlin, Mayor Of Concord Candidate
• Stacey Brown, Concord City Council Ward 5 Candidate
• Dennis Soucy, Concord City Council Ward 8 Candidate
• Kassey Cameron, Zone C Concord School Board Candidate
• Nathan Fennessy, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Judith Kurtz, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Jennifer Kretovic, Concord City Council Ward 3 Candidate
• Rob Kleiner, Concord City Council Ward 2 Candidate
• Matthew Hicks, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Kevin Porter, Concord City Council At Large Candidate

Campaign 2023 Stories

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• City Of Concord: 2023 Election Info
• Some Concord Council Candidate Signs Not In Compliance With NH Law
• Concord School District Hosts 2 Meetings Concerning New Middle School
• Concord’s Longest-Serving Mayor Named 2023 Citizen Of The Year
• More Concord Candidates Explain Why They Are Running In 2023
• More Concord Council Candidates Jump Into The Fray On Last Filing Day
• As Final Filing Day Approaches, Concord Municipal Races Get Crowded
• New Candidates Emerge For Concord Mayor, City Council, School Board
• Dad Upset About Crossdressing Art Teacher Runs For Concord School Seat
• Candidates Enter Concord City Council Races On First Day Of Filing
• New Candidates Emerge In 2023 Concord Races As Signup Date Approaches
• Champlin Confirms Concord Mayoral Run; Some Out, Others Thinking
• Second At Large Concord City Councilor Considers Mayoral Run
• Concord At-Large Councilor Champlin Eyes Mayoral Run
• Herschlag: Our Mayor Is Not Seeking Another Term
• Concord’s Longest Serving Mayor Won’t Seek Re-Election In November

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